Traffic crawls north on Broad Street during one of several snowfalls in early 2011. There was nary a snowflake in the 2011-12 winter season. / John A. Gillis/DNJ file

Written by

Doug Davis

Watches and Warnings

The National Weather Service continuously broadcasts warnings and forecasts that can be received by NOAA Weather Radios, which are sold in many stores. The frequency for NOAA weather radio out of Nashville is 162.55. For a list of additional frequencies, visit www.srh.noaa.gov/bna/. The following is a look at weather watches and warnings and what to do in the event of inclement weather: • Severe thunderstorm watch: Tells you when and where severe thunderstorms are likely to occur. • Severe thunderstorm warning: Warnings indicate imminent danger to life and property to those in the path of the storm, which can include frequent lightning, damaging straight-line winds and hail. • Flash flooding watches and warning: Accompanies strong storms and can cause creeks and rivers to rapidly flood their banks. • Tornado watch: Indicates that conditions are right for the formation of tornadoes. • Tornado warning: Means a funnel cloud has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. The Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency is now providing emergency weather information on Facebook and Twitter. They will also let folks know when it is safer to leave their safe places. Texting information is also possible at times, even when cellphones are not otherwise working. MTSU is now using Accu Weather now, and is better able to determine if a storm is coming toward campus. Those who hear the sirens on campus or at Tennessee Miller Coliseum on Thompson Lane should head to their safe spots until the weather passes. The National Weather Service uses trained spotters to identify tornadoes. To participate, visit www.srh.noaa.gov/bna/.

Weather Safety Tips

• Flash flooding: Avoid walking, swimming or driving in flood waters. Stay away from high water, storm drains, ditches, ravines or culverts. Get to higher ground. • Tornadoes: Move to a shelter, such as a basement. If an underground shelter is not available, move to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor. Do not try to outrun a tornado in your car; instead, leave it immediately for safe shelter. If caught outside or in a vehicle, lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. • Snow and ice: Slow down for wet, snowy or icy conditions. Leave plenty of room between your vehicle and others. Avoid excessive actions while steering, braking or accelerating to lessen the chances of losing control of the vehicle. Leave plenty of room between your vehicle and others. Look farther ahead in traffic than you normally do. Actions by other vehicles will alert you to problems more quickly, and give you that split-second of extra time to react safely. Check road conditions before you go by calling 511 or visiting www.tn511.com.

Spring’s warm-up is welcome, but around here it also brings allergies and the threat of severe weather.

“The (last) winter was the sixth warmest on record (in Nashville) and March was the warmest (March) on record,” said meteorologist Sam Herron with the National Weather Service in Nashville. “The average monthly temperature was 11.1 degrees above normal.”

Anthony Tuggle, director of Rutherford County’s UT-TSU Extension Service, said a lot of plants, fruit and ornamental trees normally bloom in early April to the first of May, but began doing so in early March this year, leading to nasal congestion, itchy watery eyes, coughing and sneezing.

“They say it’s the worst pollen season in over a decade,” said Dr. Bruce Wolf, a Murfreesboro allergist since 1989.

The best advice for next spring? “Avoid outdoor activities in the early morning hours when pollen levels are the highest,” Rutherford County Health Department Director Dana Garrett said. “Try to keep the doors and windows closed at your house and use air conditioning if possible to decrease the amount of pollen in your house.”

Unfortunately, allergies are only one weather-related factor residents must deal with each year. In fall and again in late winter to early spring, warm air blowing out of the Gulf and cold air blowing out of Canada can spawn severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, hail, flash flooding and potential tornadoes.

An EF-0 tornado with winds between 80 and 85 miles per hour tracked across Percy Priest Lake in north Rutherford County in January, while there were four tornadoes in Rutherford County in 2011. One of the worst tornadoes in recent years hit Murfreesboro in 2009, causing millions of dollars in damages and two deaths.

The county can also see periods of heavy rains as the remains of tropical weather sometimes sweep north from the Gulf. From May 1-3, 2010, Murfreesboro measured 11.78 inches of rain causing severe flooding in some areas and more than $19.5 million in damages.

Summers here typically see temperatures climb into the 90s. Coupled with humid air masses, air conditioners tend to work overtime. Temperatures were in the upper 90s and heat indices around 105 in August 2010.

Winters typically have wet and icy spells. A series of weekly winter blasts blanketed roads in snow and ice several times in 2011, causing school closings. Wintry weather even caused the cancellation of the Rutherford County Christmas parade on Dec. 12, 2010.